UNC Asheville survives Charlotte rally, beats 49ers 83-75

The Charlotte 49ers had UNC Asheville on the run for a while Tuesday before falling 83-75 to the Bulldogs in Halton Arena.

The 49ers (3-4) went on a 16-0 burst midway through the second half to overcome a 12-point deficit. But UNC Asheville (4-2) recovered from the Charlotte onslaught, outscoring the 49ers 36-25 over the game’s final 12 minutes.

The 49ers took the lead 46-44 on a fast-break basket by Malik Martin, then went up by four after another layup by Cooper Robb (14 points, eight rebounds). After a timeout, the Bulldogs responded with two 3-pointers by 6-foot-9 forward Coty Jude. Those long-range shots seemed to take something out of the 49ers, who had used up so much energy in making their comeback.

“They executed their pick-and-pop with (Jude),” said 49ers coach Ron Sanchez. “We had an idea that was coming out of the timeout, but it didn’t go the way we wanted it to. Maybe I didn’t do a good enough job explaining what was going to happen, but it happened twice.

“That’s our growth. We have to take our lessons right when they happen. We can’t wait for timeouts to make adjustments. That’s where we are as a young team right now.”

Charlotte, losing at home for the first time, was sloppy with the ball all night. The 49ers had 22 turnovers, leading to 29 UNC Asheville points.

Tajion Jones led the Bulldogs with 23 points. Jordan Shepherd’s 20 led Charlotte.

Both teams started slowly, but the Bulldogs got going midway through the first half to take a nine-point lead. When Jones hit a 3-pointer with nine minutes left in the half, UNC Asheville had built the advantage to 20-11.

But the 49ers cut right back into the lead, going on an 8-0 run that was capped by a Milos Supica dunk, making it 20-19. The Bulldogs, however, kept their edge and led 34-30 at halftime.

Jones’ 15 points led all scorers at halftime. Jordan Shepherd and Cooper Robb both had seven points for Charlotte at halftime.

And one

Robb provided the 49ers the lift they needed during the 16-0 run in the second half. After Milos Supica scored on a tip-in, Robb hit a 3-pointer, drew a charge and made a steal, getting the 49ers going.

Personal foul

The 49ers turnover-assist ratio was miserable in the first half. Charlotte turned the ball over 10 times and had just three assists. UNC Asheville turned those turnovers into 13 points. The 49ers ended with 22 turnovers and 12 assists.

ICYMI

UNC Asheville redshirt sophomore guard Lavar Batts, a graduate of Concord’s Robinson High, started his career at N.C. State. He transferred after his freshman season with the Wolfpack and sat out last season. Batts was averaging 8.6 points and 2.0 assists entering Tuesday’s game.

Making sense of the numbers

55.6: Charlotte’s free-throw shooting percentage (15 of 27).

53.8: Charlotte’s shooting percentage from the field.

This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 9:21 PM.